Page last updated: February 23, 2024

Forming Clubs

As a member of the Algonquin Students’ Association (SA), you can form clubs as a forum for expression and meeting academic, social, and cultural needs on campus.

Clubs must meet all the club criteria as detailed below and must be approved by the Clubs and Communities Coordinator. The SA will not approve any club whose activities promote hatred, violence, or propaganda, or whose sole purpose is to disparage a government, state, country, religion, individual, or group of people.

To form a club, sign in to the Clubs website at algonquinclubs.com, navigate to the Toolbox page, and fill out the Start a Club Form in the “Club Forms” section. You can find all other forms required for managing your club on the Toolbox page as well.

 

Club Criteria

All clubs must meet the following criteria:

1. The club’s name must accurately describe the club and make it easy to understand what the club represents.

2. The club’s name cannot use the words “Student(s) Association.”

3. The club must have a leader who represents the club. Having a co-leader is recommended, but not required. Club leaders must be full-time students.

4. The club’s topic or focus must be different from other existing clubs. A proposed club that is too similar to an existing club will not be approved.

5. Membership in the club must be free and open to all Algonquin College students.

6. Clubs must host at least one event or club meeting per semester, whether in-person or virtually.

7. Members of the club cannot claim to represent any individual group, country, religion, government, association, or state.

8. The club must represent Algonquin College’s core values of caring, learning, integrity, and respect.

9. The club must respect the use of on-campus space, including poster boards, as set out by the SA and Algonquin College.

When you register a club, you agree to follow all the above criteria and accept that your club’s recognition can be withdrawn if any of the above criteria cease to be met. These criteria apply both on- and off-campus as well as online.

Club Leader training is a mandatory info course on all the important information a club leader needs to know. This training must be completed before your club can begin hosting club activities.

Complete your club leader training here 

Club Leaders can book a table in E building (Student Commons) dependant on availibility. This allows you and your club to recruit new members, promote upcoming events and activities and spread the word surrounding your clubs interest. 

To book a table please email the Clubs and Communities Coordinator. Please note that tables must be requested a minimum of 2 weeks prior to the desired tabling date.

Club funding is limited and not guaranteed. Club funds can be used for start up supplies and events. It's important to note that no funds are guaranteed to clubs, and all forms submitted will be reviewed and approved on a case by case scenario. All funding request must be submitted in accordance with the Club Order Schedule below should you wish the Club Coordinator get it:

Date Item Is Needed

Date to Request Item By
January 8th - 14th  Janurary 1st 
January 15th - 21st Janurary 8th
January 22nd - 28th Janurary 15th
January 29th - February 4th Janurary 22nd
February 5th - 11th January 29th 
February 12th - 18th  February 5th 
February 19th - 25th  February 12th
February 26th - March 3rd  February 19th 
March 4th - 10th  February 26th 
March 11th - 17th  March 4th 
March 18th - 24th  March 11th 
March 25th - March 31st March 18th 
April 1st - 7th  March 25th 
April 8th - 14th  April 1st 
April 15th - 21st  April 8th 
April 22nd - 28th  April 15th 

 

If approved for funding, it will be arranged between the Club Leader and Clubs Coordinator that either the club purchase the items independently and then put in a reimbursement request form. This allows us to pay you back the approved funding spent. Receipts MUST be provided for any purchase to be reimbursed. Only funds that were pre-approved by the Clubs Coordinator will be eligable for reimbursement.

Fundraising, Club Sponsors and Trust accounts

To host a Fundraising event, you must fill out the Event Request Form. Fundraising events can only be for charities registered with the Canada Revenue Agency or for the Club itself.

Clubs can bring in external affiliates or a club sponsor. This is a group or a person who would like to support the club. External affiliates or club sponsors can offer clubs connections, guidance and, at times, financial support. If your club is interested in working with an outside organization or person, please fill out the External speaker/affiliate form to have your affiliate approved. 

Trust Accounts are available for clubs to keep the money they have raised or received through donations. The club's coordinator operates the trust account, and all deposits or withdrawals from the account must be processed through the club's coordinator. If a Club is inactive and no longer exists, all of the funds in the Trust Account will be donated to the Food Cupboard.

Ownership of Club Purchases  

Any capital purchases made for a club that is not a one time use/experience will remain the property of the SA. These items will remain stored on campus and does not belong to the Club or Club Leader directly. 

Events take a long time to get approved and promoted, so make sure to put in your club's event request five weeks before you wish to have the event!

Events can be what you make them, think about club events like throwing a big party, yes there are lots of steps, but all the fun makes them worth it! Here is the outline of the Event process to help you and your club have a smooth and easy event planning.

Define the Purpose of your Event

  • Meet with your club members and start brainstorming the purpose of your proposed event. Will this event financially help your club or fundraise for a charity? Is it to promote your student group or engage the campus community? Who is your event targeted towards, and what resources will you need to organize this event successfully?

What are your event needs?

  • The event form will have some basic event needs for you to select if you think you need them, like chairs and tables. But make sure to run through the event with your club and submit anything you feel the event may require. Itinerary, print materials, whatever you can think of; make sure to request anything you can think of in the event form. Please note that requesting an event need does not guarantee you will be able to get it. 

Budget for your event

  • Make sure you have adequate resources (financial and human). Are you planning on charging for this event? If so, how much? Get cost estimates or quotes to know what this event will cost. Explore all funding sources, such as registration/ticket sales, club funding, donations, and event sponsors.

Submit the Event Form

  • Before any event can be held on or off-campus, it must be submitted through the Events form. Event forms must be submitted a minimum of 5 weeks before an event. This ensures that the Clubs coordinator can review the event, consider any risk associated with the event, and allows you to book space on campus. 

Meet with the Clubs Coordinator to review

  • Once the event form is submitted, the Clubs coordinator will reach out to meet and review the event. This will be the time to discuss what's important for your event and what we can potentially weed out. Analyzing logistics and risk will also be reviewed, and hopefully, after this meeting, your event will be quickly approved! 

Marketing and Promotion

  • Think about how you want your event to be promoted, be creative and share your ideas to spread the word! As a recognized club, you get assistance with marketing through the SA marketing team. This allows for posters and digital content to be created for you, share how you envision those posters, and we will do our best to create them. 

Preparing for the Event 

  • This is your event! As much as the Clubs Coordinator is here to support you and your club, the event is your show to run and ensure it is a success. Make sure everything is lined up to go smoothly on the day, know who's responsible for what and check in with them on their progress. Inform all your members of your great event, and make sure to have people available to help you on the day. 

Day of event

  • All club leaders must be present on the day of a club event. Please arrive at least an hour before the event to begin setting up. If the club leader is not present at the event, unfortunately, the event will not be able to run. Having someone take pictures and post them on social media throughout your event is also recommended. Don't forget to tag the SA for a repost! 

  • @sa_algonquin

Event wrap up 

  • Events take a lot of planning and people to make them happen. Don't forget to thank everyone who helped, send feedback surveys to improve your next event, meet with your club for an event debrief and discuss what went right and what maybe went wrong. 

Now it's time to start planning the next event!

A club meeting is just for club members; most of the time, club meetings have a set date and recur weekly, biweekly, or monthly. Meetings are the heart of the club; this is when you get together to watch anime, knit, play board games, chat, hang out, and do whatever your club does. If your club meeting needs materials or supplies, please make sure to add that to the Meeting request form. 

As a recognized SA club, you have access to on-campus advertising such as campus posters, and other paper advertising materials to be placed around the Algonquin college campuses and boards.

 

Posters

Clubs are able to have posters put up around campus; they are not permitted to put them up themselves; the Clubs Coordinator will do that for each club. Clubs are responsible, though, for creating the poster! Clubs have access to a club Canva pro account to help them create clean, creative, and fun posters for their clubs. Please fill out the Club advertising form for your poster to be approved and published! 

Other Printing Material

Should Clubs need to print materials such as flyers, brochures, pamphlets etc. they are welcome to do so. Clubs are responsible for creating their own materials. Printing is limited to 30 prints per event/activity being requested.

Canva Account

Each club has access to a Clubs Canva pro account. This website makes it easy to build social media content, posters, pamphlets, and so much more. Please remember that this is a shared account for all the clubs to use, so each club must create it only within their club folder. If you want to use the Canva account, please reach out to the Clubs Coordinator.  

Each semester the Clubs Coordinator will send an email out to all Club Leaders to gain their club renewal status. Should your club be rolling over into the next semester, your club will reamin active. Should you wish to pause your club for an off/break semester, your club will be taken down but can be resumed the following semester. Should your club no longer be active, your club will be permanently dissolved. 

Semester Breakdown

Fall: September - December

Winter: Janurary - April

Spring/Summer: May - August 

If you're a club leader who is graduating, or you wish to hand over the Club Leader role to another student, please fill out the Club Leader Transition Form. This form easily allows you to pass along pivotal information, operations, and traditions between outgoing and incoming club leaders.